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Topic : 09/19 School Controversies

Number of Replies: 472

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Created on : Friday, September 12, 2008, 01:22:29 pm

Author : DrPhilBoard1

Dr. Phil takes on controversial issues that could affect your child’s safety at school. First up, imagine your child’s first day at school and his or her teacher is carrying a concealed weapon. How would you feel about that? One small Texas school district will allow gun-toting teachers. Dr. Phil hears from moms on both sides of this debate, as well as the president of the Texas Federation of Teachers. Then, did you know that almost half of college-aged kids binge drink? That’s why 100 of the nation’s college presidents have signed the Amethyst Initiative, calling for a national discussion about rethinking the legal drinking age. Should kids be allowed to drink legally at 18? An Amethyst board member joins Dr. Phil, along with the national president for Mothers Against Drunk Driving, two university presidents and a family devastated by a drunk-driving tragedy. Where do you side on these debates? Take our poll! Plus, don’t miss a school bus brawl caught on tape. Who's at fault: the student or the bus driver? Join the discussion.

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Lowering the drinking age! The UK wants to increase it!

Hi everyone,

I've just read about the Amethyst Initiative and how college presidents would like there to be a discussion concerning the age limit on drinking alcohol.

The legal age in the UK is 18 and this means that our college students are legal to drink when they go off to university. Does this stop or reduce binge drinking? I don't believe so in fact, when I attended university (I went late at 21) there were so many students binge drinking there would often be altercations between the bar staff and the kids!

Here in the UK many people believed that bringing in the "24hr drinking" law would reduce binge drinking and it hasn't. Many people (myself included) believe the legal age should be raised to 21 just like it is currently in the US.

A lot of my friends wasted their student loans on going out and partying and a few even had to drop out of college all together. I believe the legal age to drink should be set at 21 as the majority of 18 year olds do not know the full extent of the damage that can be caused by binge drinking.

Teachers and Handguns

If this small town you are talking about is Boerne, TX....it is not so small and it totally melts into San Antonio, Texas. It's almost as one. There was a Columbine like threat the first day of school and the two boys were totally ready to take the brand new High School out. Another thing, the teachers are allowed to carry Hand guns, but the school board has chosen NOT to randomly drug test them. That is my main concern. Just who is carrying the Hand Gun and how stable are they. Where are the criminal Kids, going to find the hand guns? At home or lifting and teachers purse'?

I am a Texan that believes in self protection and safe gun laws, but to make it too easy for criminals to find them.....lets get real. A gun belongs to educated adults in a safe place at home or on the hip (of most) law persons. Brenda (Fredericksburg, TX)

Lowering the drinking age...

In Massachusetts they lowered the drinking age to 18 about 35 years ago and realized that it made it easier for 15 & 16 yr. olds to get liquor as well as more drinking and driving accidents. They have since raised the age back to 21. Unless you are in the Military do I think the drinking age should be lowered.

09/19 School Controversies

I say leave the drinking age at 21. Don't make it any easier than it already is for them to get alchohol. I don't think teachers should be carrying guns in school. The idea of it makes me nervous. I can imagine situations that could crop up where someone would surely end up hurt or killed.

teachers and guns

Who are they going to shoot? Are they really capable of shooting a chid? . Most school shootings are by children who are attending or have attended the school. I do not think I could shoot a child I know. I do not know. I would like to hear from teachers who have been in the situation.

drinking age

As a person who has been touched by alcholism and drug addiction, Why is 21 or 18 a magical age. why not 22 or 25. I think it should be individualized. Issue a card, after you pass a written and psychological test, which alows you to purchase alchohol for any age. DMV could do it when you get your license renewed after you turn 21. the higher the age the better. If anyone else has another, or better solution I would love to hear it.

Teachers

Like a crazed killer......every once in a while there are crazed teachers that pop up.....they are caught molesting kids or abusing kids. Teachers are stressed already because of the job.......what if a teacher had a really bad day.....then, a disrespectfull student pushes that teacher.......and that teacher had a gun!

drinking age

drinking age

HI

I live in Australia and our drinking age is 18 and the amount of times I hear fromfriends and on the news about the teenage drinking, its a problem with the driving age and drinking ,theamount of times you hear about some one dieing or badly hurt in a car crash then you hear that drinking played a major part in it. These days it seems that you cant have fun without drinking its a shame. please dont change the age as at 18 most teenagers cant handle it. it almost seems cool to get drunk. I hear all the time about how they brag about getting drunk that is.

It's okay to drink at 18 in the US Military

I live in Australia and our drinking age is 18 and the amount of times I hear fromfriends and on the news about the teenage drinking, its a problem with the driving age and drinking ,theamount of times you hear about some one dieing or badly hurt in a car crash then you hear that drinking played a major part in it. These days it seems that you cant have fun without drinking its a shame. please dont change the age as at 18 most teenagers cant handle it. it almost seems cool to get drunk. I hear all the time about how they brag about getting drunk that is.

17 is the drinking age in the US Military on base. If you're in the miliary, you can drink on base. If your parents sign to allow for you to go in at 17, well you're in. 18 was the age in 1979. They raised it up to 19 a couple weeks after i turned 19. They raised it up to 20 a couple weeks after i turned 20. I went home on leave from Florida to California and i could not drink because i wasn't 21. I went back to Florida. And they raised the drinking age for a final time to 21. Again a couple weeks after i turned 21. The people a few eeks younger always had a chip on thier shoulder. They could go to jail and i was "cool". Yup, COOL uh huh really cool. Let me tell you about AA sometime and the story of a drunken sailor. OH thats right everyone knows that story.